Proving Ground
Chapter 9
…
He stood at the window half dressed, staring down the wooded slope of the hill behind his bedroom. The morning sun cast a warm glow on the gently waving grasses, their movement reminding him of the ocean and how long it had been since he'd surfed. He hadn't slept well, and even the hot shower he'd just taken hadn't been able to rinse away the dark cobwebs of yesterday's memories. Kensi had stayed as long as she could last night, but after she left, his mind had raced with what he could have said to Yavuz that might have changed the outcome. There were no answers, no right or wrong scenarios, there was just the stark reality of death. The prick of guilt remained.
A soft knock drew him out of his thoughts and he quickly slipped on his t-shirt. When he opened the door, Hetty stood there with a cup of coffee and he accepted it gratefully.
"You look like crap, Mr. Deeks, but I suppose that's to be expected when you have trouble sleeping," she said, making him wonder how she knew that.
"You weren't watching me sleep…were you? Because that's not disturbing at all."
"I've made you some breakfast, Mr. Deeks," She said, ignoring his question and the ironic remark that followed. "You'll need it when we meet with Ms. Mosley."
"We?" He asked as he followed her into the hall.
"Of course. You'll need an ally, Mr. Deeks, and it's time I got involved," she replied.
"I thought you made promises," he said, stopping at the base of the stairs.
"Mosley may be the Assistant Executive Director, but I'm back on the books as the Operations Manager," She said. "And you're still my agent."
"She probably won't see it that way," he replied as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "I'm just an LAPD detective to her."
"Isn't that what you want to be?" She asked.
"Yeah, no…it is…it's just…" he fumbled over his words with an embarrassed laugh.
"How about an easier question," she said with a kind look. "Pancakes, or scrambled eggs and toast?"
"Just eggs and toast," he said softly. "Not sure my stomach is up for pancakes."
She made no comment and left him alone with his thoughts and coffee. She had just set a plate in front of him when one of his phones buzzed. It was Sadik, and he shot a warning look at Hetty.
"Yeah."
"Bring the Italian to the house at noon. I will send you the address," he said. "Come unarmed."
"We'll be there, but I don't go anywhere without a weapon," he growled. "If I was gonna shoot somebody I would have done it last night."
He heard the quick intake of breath just before the connection ended. He angrily tossed the phone on the table and stared at his scrambled eggs, his appetite gone.
"Was that wise, Mr. Deeks?"
"That's Max for you. Backing down isn't in his DNA," he replied and pushed back from the table.
"Eat, Mr. Deeks. You'll need to be at the top of your game today," she encouraged. "And just so you know, Mr. Beale has discovered that your meeting with Mosley will be at the boat shed."
"Would be nice to have our debrief on the record, but I don't think Mosley will let that happen," he said as he pushed his eggs around the plate.
"Security cameras in there can be turned off," she acknowledged. "Of course, you'd have to know where all of them are."
"Is there something you want to confess, Hetty?"
"I might have set up a few hidden cameras…undetectable spyware that connects to my personal server," she said. "As you know, I like to keep track of my agents."
"I forgot how sneaky you can be," he said with a soft smile.
"It's in my DNA, Mr. Deeks," she said with a slight smile. "Now, eat your breakfast."
It felt good to have her on his side. He didn't even mind her ordering him to eat like he was an six-year-old child, but the idea that she'd been watching him while he tried to sleep still creeped him out.
He quickly finished his breakfast and grabbed up the phone Sadik had given him, noting the address the man had sent. He held the phone up to show Hetty and she nodded.
"The sonofabitch invited us to lunch," he snarked. "Damn civilized for a murderer, don't you think?"
"It's all about control," she said. "Remember that."
"The same could be said for my debrief with Mosley this morning," he said.
"You don't like her, do you?"
"I usually try to get along with everybody, but she's making it damn hard," he replied. "So, to be honest… No. I don't like her much."
"Neither does Mr. Callen," She said as she began clearing the table. "He tolerates her, of course, but the way she's running this op has caused him to be deeply concerned about her plans for the team. He's especially bothered by her treatment of you."
"Really?"
"Does that surprise you, Mr. Deeks?"
"It shouldn't, but yeah it does a little."
"Mr. Callen doesn't exactly wear his heart on his sleeve, but that's not to say he doesn't care or feel protective of you," she said. "He's not too happy Mosley left you out in the cold and kept the rest of the team sidelined."
"After last night, I'm glad she did," he confessed.
She seemed surprised by his admission, and stopped what she was doing to sit back down across from him.
"I spoke with Mr. Callen and Sam last night," she told him. "They know what happened with Remick, and are quite angry, even more so than I expected. In retrospect, I'm not sure I should have told them, but there would have been hell to pay if I hadn't and they found out."
"I told Kensi last night," he said.
"As you should. She's your partner, and now, so much more," she said gently. "She's worried about you. We all are."
"Teague managed to keep it together last night, but I'm not sure I would have if Callen or Sam had been there instead of Remick," he said roughly. "I'm glad they're not anywhere near these guys. Especially Kensi."
"It took me some time to talk Mr. Callen out of demanding to be included," she said. "And Sam is concerned that you might not have a backup team."
"I think I met one of them last night. Agent named McFadden," Deeks said. "I think he's part of what Mosley calls her 'elite' team. It's multi-agency…hand picked by Mosley herself."
"I see…"
"Hetty…I think she might be grooming them to replace us."
"That's been Mr. Callen's concern all along," she said. "She'll have to reveal them to you at some point, Mr. Deeks. You'll have to be our eyes and ears. Any information you discover might help us spoil the AE Director's plans."
"No pressure there," he murmured.
"Come now, Mr. Deeks. You work well under pressure," she said. "Or you wouldn't have survived last night."
"Lets hope I can survive today."
"We are all hoping that, Mr. Deeks," She said quietly. "But, please know that we all have complete faith in your ability to do so."
"Callen too?"
"He never questioned you, Mr. Deeks. It's Mosley's support of you that he questions."
"Teague promised to have my back at the debrief this morning," Deeks said. "Lets go see if he keeps that promise."
"More important than that, do you believe he's a capable undercover? Is he a partner you can count on in this?"
"I think he is, Hetty."
"Then I'll let the others know," she replied.
"Any new intel on Yavuz?"
"There is a shadowy connection to a Turkish neo-fascist organization known as the Grey Wolves," she replied. "But Nell is still trying to track that down, as well as find any definitive information on the death of his wife."
"Maybe I can get him to share some of that information," Deeks said.
"Tread carefully, Mr. Deeks. Getting the man to open up about such a tragic loss might make him more unpredictable than he already is."
"I will if a can."
He checked in with Mosley to confirm the location of the debrief as Hetty drove him down the mountain. It wasn't as scary in daylight as it had been last night, and Deeks found he enjoyed the view, especially when the ocean came in sight. He let his thoughts wander, touching on easy going days on the water, the challenge of working a wave, feeling the power of the surge beneath you, reacting to any sudden changes, riding it all the way to the end until you conquered it. He realized there were comparisons there with undercover work, but one offered a feeling of freedom, while the other was all about survival. That thought brought him back to the harsh reality of what the day might bring, and he began to concentrate on his upcoming debrief. Mosley would be looking for any weakness she could find, and if she dug too deep, he decided he'd allow his alias to have a seat at the table. The thought made him smile.
When they arrived at the boat shed there were unfamiliar cars in the parking lot, so he assumed he might finally be meeting the so-called elite team. Hetty looked as if she'd eaten some bad sushi, and he realized just how pissed she was with Mosley's plan to replace the team she had put together.
"Did you tell her you were coming?" He asked as they approached the door.
"Hell no."
He grinned cockily as he held the door open for her. He might even enjoy this debrief.
"Hetty. I wasn't made aware you would be joining us," Mosley said, eyeing him with a stone cold look.
"Mr. Deeks needed a ride, and since I'm here, I thought I might as well get brought up to speed on the operation he's working," Hetty replied. "Perhaps you would like to introduce me to your new associates."
Mosley looked as if she might explode, and Teague covered her by stepping up to introduce himself.
"I'm Benjamin Teague, Ms. Lange. I've always wanted to meet the woman who is considered a living legend."
"Ahh…nothing like a little ass kissing to start the day," she replied with a laugh. "Deeks trusts you, Mr. Teague, so I'm willing to do the same…unless you violate that trust, of course."
Teague looked stunned by her comment, and it made Deeks grin even more.
"You can't win, brother, so don't even try," Deeks said.
"And who are these other gentlemen, Assistant Executive Director?" Hetty asked. "They aren't NCIS agents, so I'm curious as to why they're involved in an NCIS case."
"This is an important op, Hetty, and I've been given the authority to assemble my own elite team," Mosley replied smugly. "Agent Teague believes the individuals behind the hijacking are quite unstable, so I believe it will take the very best to take them down."
"Like Mr. Deeks," Hetty said.
Mosley's mouth pursed as her eyes flared wide, but she made no comment, and Deeks looked away, the lack of a response irritating, especially after last night.
"Deeks has created quite an alias in Max Gentry," Teague said quickly. "The man in charge, Berat Yavuz, seems to be quite taken with him."
"And you?" Hetty asked.
"Impressed."
"As you should be," Hetty replied.
"I however, have some questions," Mosley said.
"So have I," Hetty said quickly. "I'd like to know who these men are you have backing up Mr. Deeks."
"I'm not sure you need to know that, Hetty," Mosley replied.
"Oh, but I do, dear," she said quietly. "He's a member of my own elite team, and I have an obligation to make sure he's protected."
"That's what they're trained to do," Teague said, turning to face the team. "Name and agency, men, plus a bit of background. We don't want Ms. Lange to worry about her boy."
Every man looked to Mosley for approval and didn't move or speak until she finally nodded. When she did, McFadden, the man who had driven him to Orlena's, was the first to step forward. He was the classic male hard ass, big and strong, with close-cropped hair and a bit of dark scruff.
"Special Agent Ellis McFadden, NSD, Counterterrorism Division. Served two tours in Afghanistan in Special Ops. Personally selected by the head of the DOJ to join Counterterrorism."
"Agent Rodney Fry, ATF. Former Army Ranger. Led a bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan."
Deeks recognized the man from the alley last night. He was black. Tall and slender, with piercing hazel eyes. He had been the first one to look at Remick's body in the trunk of the car.
"Special Agent Edward Keyes, FBI. Top of my class at Quantico. WMD specialist."
The man reminded him of Callen. He was older than the others, looked indifferent, but arrogant at the same time. He was stocky, and well built, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Deeks took the last man to be Middle Eastern until he heard his name.
"Special Agent Rodrigo Perez, NSD. Linguistics."
"Akıcı çoğu Türkçe?" Hetty asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm fluent in Turkish and five other languages, not including English," Perez replied, with a look of pride.
"Satisfied, Hetty?" Mosley asked, looking a bit proud herself.
"So far," she replied. "But you should really be asking Mr. Deeks that question. He's the one they'll be backing up."
"Sounds like they were all at the top of their class…from kindergarten on up," he said, the cocky smile briefly back on his face. "Just not sure they're human. Anyone get caught smoking weed behind the bleachers…or cheating on an exam, maybe? Anything? No? So all perfect then? Thought so. Okay. I'm good. I'm just gonna assume you can all shoot straight."
"You can count on that, Detective," McFadden snapped.
"I am counting on that, asshole," Max Gentry snarled.
McFadden's expression went flat and deadly as he took a step forward. Max wasn't about to back down and moved to confront the man. Teague stepped between them, putting a hand on his chest and shaking his head no.
"Gentlemen…you've just met Max Gentry, Deeks' undercover alias," Teague said smoothly. "Don't underestimate him. He went toe to toe with our main suspect last night."
"And yet we lost a man," Mosley interjected. "Can you explain why that happened, Detective?"
"Yeah, I can. Yavuz is a serious psycho willing to become a mass murderer because someone killed his wife," Max replied coldly. "He wanted us to understand him, and to warn us. If we don't come through with what we promise, what happened to Remick will happen to us."
"And you think you can handle him?" Mosley asked, in a decidedly mocking tone.
"Yavuz isn't the kind of man you handle," Max replied. "He's the kind you work and hopefully survive."
"And the missiles?" She asked with raised eyebrows.
"The main objective," he replied.
"And what about you Mr. Teague?" Hetty asked. "What is your reaction to the murder of Agent Remick?"
The man's expression flickered between annoyance and reflection. He caught Deeks' eye and the memory returned, dark and foreboding.
"I wanted to kill the fucking bastard. All of them actually," he finally replied without emotion. "But I would have died doing it. Both of us probably. Deeks kept it together. He actually grounded me. He picked up on a subtle comment by Yavuz and intuitively knew something bad was about to happen. He tried to talk the man out of it. It put him at risk, but seemed to intrigue Yavuz. I think he trusts Max Gentry. Not sure he trusts Lorenzo Benedetto…"
"He doesn't trust anyone, man," Deeks interjected.
"And he would have found another way to make his point if Remick hadn't been there," Hetty added.
"Are you suggesting Deeks would have been the one thrown off that building?" Mosley asked.
"She's right," Teague said. "I don't think he would have killed him though, but I don't think it would have been pleasant either."
"And I'd rather not think about it," Deeks said.
"And you don't want to," Agent Fry said. "I saw Remick's body. Reminded me of some of the bomb victims I saw in Kandahar."
"Losing an agent is never easy," Hetty said gently. "He gave his life for the mission and we need to honor that by recovering those missiles."
Deeks could see a subtle change in the faces of the assembled agents. They had appreciated Hetty's comment and respected her for it.
"Of course. Thank you, Hetty," Mosley said. "Now, when and where is your next meeting with Yavuz?"
"He's invited us to lunch at his estate in Coldwater Canyon," Deeks replied. "To formalize our arrangement."
"Keep me posted," Mosley replied, and stood up to leave.
"Wait!" Deeks said. "That's it? How about some intel on Yavuz' wife. Who killed her? Who is this guy after?"
"You don't need to know that, Detective," she replied. "You just need to find those missiles."
"And some intel might help me do that," Deeks said.
"Are you forgetting that Teague is now involved?" She said. "He's the leader on this mission. And now that Remick is dead, you are now his backup. Nothing more."
Deeks was so stunned he couldn't think of anything to say. It was if the meeting had never happened. The woman walked out without another word, and he looked over at Hetty and could see the disapproval on her face.
"We'll manage, Deeks," Teague said.
"And that's all we'll be doing if we don't know what the hell we're up against," he replied angrily. "Talk to her, man. Maybe she'll trust you with the information. She sure as hell doesn't trust me."
Deeks hurried out and headed toward the marina, hoping to clear his head. When he finally ran out of steam, he slumped onto one of the benches and sat staring out at the boats. He wondered why he was fighting so hard to stay with NCIS. He had no desire to return to the LAPD, so maybe it would be better if he just got out of law enforcement all together. His only concern was Kensi, but he knew Callen and Sam would look after her, and Hidoko was a good field agent. They would make good partners, not that he wouldn't worry anyway. Not working with her every day would take some getting use to.
With the thought of leaving came the realization that he would miss being part of the team, and part of the family that had grown from it. He'd grown up an only child, so working so closely with Kensi, Callen and Sam and the wonder twins had been a revelation. The two senior agents road his ass whenever they got the chance, but if he were being honest, most of the time he enjoyed it. Even if he'd never had brothers, he'd had friends, and ragging on each other was what good friends did. He also gave as good as he got, and bantering was fun. He was good at it. It helped make the stark reality of their jobs a little easier to take. He wished they were here right now, because he could use their advice. He was thankful for Hetty's presence, but being able to talk this through with the guys would really help right now. But, he didn't have that luxury. He was on his own.
"Detective Deeks?"
Rodney Fry, the ATF agent stood a ways off, waiting for him to acknowledge his presence. Deeks tousled his hair and blew out his breath, finally standing to see what he wanted.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Teague wants to go over some logistics with everyone," he replied. "You're the only one who's been to the location, so we kind of need your input."
"Yeah, no…of course," he replied as they began walking back. "Better start calling me Max. I'll be in character by the time you guys get involved."
"Then you better know, the guys call me Frenchie," he said.
"Seriously? Frenchie Fry?" Deeks couldn't stifle the laugh.
"You don't get to pick your own nickname in this unit," he replied, smiling widely. "Mine was Perez's idea."
"Want to clue me in on the others?" Deeks asked.
"McFadden is just Fad. Keyes is called Locker, and Perez is UN…the guy is obnoxious about how many languages he speaks."
"How long you been a unit?" Deeks asked.
"Eight months," Fry said.
Deeks said nothing, but now he knew Mosley had put this group together around the same time she arrived at NCIS Special Ops. She'd planned to replace the team from the beginning. He also realized this would probably be his last assignment. If he survived, things would change…for all of them.
…
Mosley hadn't provided much intel, but she had provided Teague with a silver Mercedes that befitted a successful arms dealer. The drive up into Coldwater Canyon without a hood over his head allowed Deeks to get a better idea of the difficulty of attacking Yavuz in such a neighborhood. The last time he came down this road it had been in a haze from getting clocked in the head one too many times. Now he saw that starting a firefight here might bring unwanted casualties and probably several lawsuits. Wealthy people didn't like their afternoon tennis games and pool parties interrupted by gunfire.
"She'll come around," Teague said.
"Who?"
"Don't pretend to be dense, Deeks. It doesn't suit you," Teague said. "I made Shay aware of how well you did last night. She'll come to realize you're a valuable asset before this is over."
"Whatever you say, boss," Deeks said sullenly as he continued to stare out the window.
"Is that how you're going to play it? Disgruntled bodyguard?"
"With you or with Yavuz and Sadik?" He asked.
"Let this morning go, or it will show up in your work," Teague advised a little too pompously for Deeks.
"And there it is…advice from a seasoned dark ops undercover," Deeks said, not even trying to hide his bitterness. "You forget I've done this before."
"Where is this suddenly shitty attitude coming from Deeks?" He said, sounding exasperated. "Lose it or Yavuz will pick up on it. You know that."
Deeks knew he was right, and it wasn't him he was mad at. It was Mosley. His whole team would be dismantled, no matter what he did on this assignment.
"You're right," Deeks said, flashing a cocky smile. "Sorry, Benny. I'll do my best to make you proud."
"And the twit returns."
"Call me Max, Dad," Deeks said.
They made the last turn up toward Yavuz' driveway, passing the utility truck that held two of the backup squad that would be monitoring them on comms. Fry and Keyes were dressed as a landscape maintenance crew, and Deeks caught Frenchie's look as they drove by. He'd told them in the boat shed that it might be a waste of time for them to be there, especially if the security gate closed behind them. McFadden offered to get there early to disable it, but Deeks argued successfully that it could blow the whole operation if he was discovered. He'd detailed all the security measures Yavuz had in place, but that didn't mean there weren't others he didn't know about.
When they pulled up into the paved driveway, Sadik and three bodyguards were waiting for them. Deeks paused as he got out, stalling to see if the gate would close, and when it didn't, he breathed out a small sigh of relief.
Sadik offered no welcome. He simply turned and walked back inside, expecting them to follow. Once inside their weapons were confiscated and they were led through the living room and out onto the terrace, where a table had been set for lunch. The spread was impressive, and Lorenzo Benedetto immediately commented, not effusively, but with enough appreciation that Yavuz turned to look at him from his position by the balustrade.
"You seemed to have recovered very well from last night," Yavuz said. "Ali had the feeling you wanted revenge for what happened. Is that true? Do you want to kill me?"
"Your actions caught me by surprise, Signor Yavuz," he replied. "I'm a businessman, and after some reflection, I decided I would rather get this deal done, than risk my life over a replaceable bodyguard."
"A wise choice. And yet you do not trust me," Yavuz said. "You disposed of your car last night. Was that your decision or Mr. Gentry's?"
"That would be me," Max said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, sounding believable until he looked in his eyes.
The cold barrel of a gun touched the back of his neck, and Max froze.
"Tell me why, Max," Yavuz said.
"I don't like being tracked," he replied, his mouth going dry.
"Sadik thinks you are very good at losing someone tracking you," he said as he stepped up in front of him. "He said you managed to elude one of his men at the Farmers Market the other day. That makes me very suspicious, Max."
"I'm a private kind of guy," he replied.
"Or you are a Federal agent," Sadik growled in his ear.
"Didn't know you could tell a joke, Ali," he said. "Found your little tracker on the inside of my belt. Trashed it. You're the ones who didn't trust me."
"That is true. I didn't," Yavuz replied, and turned to pick up a glass of red wine, taking a sip before continuing. "I have many enemies, Max, so I must be very careful."
"You aren't the only one," Max said. "I didn't know that guy following me was one of yours. Thought he was a cop."
"He is lying, Berat," Sadik said.
"Find out if that's true, Ali, while I question Mr. Benedetto," Yavuz said, and Max's arms were quickly pulled behind him and his hands tied.
"Signor Yavuz…per favore. This is not necessary," Teague pleaded. "We have worked together. And, look at him…he is too…too crude to be an agent. He's a ruffian. You can see that."
"Or he is very good at what he does," Yavuz said. "My people have been looking into both of your backgrounds. And they are very thorough. One can never be too careful at this stage of an operation."
Sadik said something to Yavuz in Turkish and Deeks' com suddenly came alive after Yavuz replied.
"Sadik asked how far he could go," Perez, the linguist, said softly in his ear. "Yavuz told him he would join him in fifteen minutes. He also said, no knives. Hang in there, man. Say the safe word and we're there."
…
…
